USA Cycling hires longtime Team Australia coach Gary Sutton

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Cycling has hired longtime Team Australia coach Gary Sutton to oversee its endurance program, which won a world championship in team pursuit and two silver medals at the Rio Olympics.

Sutton had spent most of the past decade working with the Australian team, where he ushered several athletes to world championships and Olympic medals. He was an elite cyclist in his own right, competing in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Games and winning a world title in the points race.

His hiring comes amid a reorganization of USA Cycling's elite program, which is responsible for discovering and preparing athletes for world championships and other marquee events.

Last week, U.S. Olympic Committee high performance director Scott Schnitzspahn was hired as the vice president of elite athletics. He will report to Jim Miller, the longtime director of the elite program who has expanded his role as the vice president of high performance.